Gm Boosts Prices Of ‘96 Models 2.7%

General Motors is raising base prices by an average of 2.7 percent on its 1996 models, according to Ronald Zarrella, GM group executive for North American sales, service and marketing.

But consumers should remember a couple of points. First, those are base prices. Very few vehicles are sold in this Spartan form. Second, it’s an average. So some prices rose more than the average; others actually are lower.

For example, the Pontiac Bonneville will carry a 1996 base price of $22,179, or $210 less than its year-earlier base price. But there’s currently a $750 rebate on the Bonneville, so the real-world price may go up slightly.

At the other end of the spectrum, starting prices on GM’s hot-selling sport-utilities will be up by a hefty 7 percent from last year.